it has been carried out successfully thousands of times in the united states but is available only privately in the uk as the national institute for health and clinical excellence refuses to allow the operation on the nhs. will the prime minister look at the situation and help me, and the families across the country who are currently raising money for their children to have the operation, to get nice to change its mind? >> i will certainly look closely at that. i quite understand, as a parent of a very disabled child who had cerebral palsy, that if there was anything that a parent could do to get their child out of the wheelchair, they would want that to happen. i have looked at this case, and nice actually says that the operation is a treatment option for some children and young people, but it cautions against the potentially serious complications, because it is an irreversible operation with risks involved. however, i will look at the matter very carefully and see whether there is anything more that nice should consider. >> whenever the prime minister is faced with industrial dispute in th